Jensen

I think I'm getting it ... polenta is a subset of grits, as is/are hominy grits (the white ones I want to eat). I am in that oh-so-cosmopolitan centre -- Sacramento <cough, cough>.

But are they grits or polenta? It said right on the label "otherwise known as ..." The label also said they should be kept refrigerated and there those bags were, sitting out on the shelf.

This afternoon I went on a quest for grits. I know I'd seen instant grits and quick grits in the local Raley's but, just to have more options, I trekked to Whole Foods. After reading an article in the SJ Mercury News about grits, I decided that I would settle for Albers, if I had to. Turns out I had to. Whole Foods had Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits (otherwise known as polenta) but I didn't want polenta. I wanted grits. My only other choice was the Albers. Guess what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow?

Now is the point that I confess that I am a Canadian living in NoCal and have only ever had grits in restaurants of the chain variety. What are "traditional" grits? Where can one buy them? I did wander through the cereal aisle at my local Raley's and saw the instant and quick cook type. I imagine those are the types I've eaten. Should I be looking somewhere else for the traditional type?

Just in the past little while, I've seen two (count 'em) articles on grits: one in an issue of Saveur (Nov. 2003) and in the latest Simple Cooking newsletter. Despite some traumatic childhood experiences involving Cream of Wheat cereal, I quite like grits. I tried them for the first time a year or two ago and now, while on road trips through grits country, will opt for grits to accompany my breakfast. Has anyone tried the artisanal grits described in the aforementioned articles? Are they yummy? Is this going to be a new food trend?

This article? http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/07/weekinreview/07LOHR.html

What did Emery Barnes do after the month was up? He wasn't "poor" anymore, he got to step out of it. Normal "everyday poor" people don't get to step out of their enviroment at the end of x amount of time. They're still poor. To chop up what fresco said, it's not about the shared experience, it's the long term effects that matter. After his month was up, Emery Barnes did what he could to improve the situation of his constituents by working for appropriate legislation and social programmes. He was in a position to do so by virtue of his occupation as MLA. Having a politician go and live with the poor is not a bad thing. What they do with the knowledge gained during that time is what really counts and is a true measure of their intent. Emery Barnes used his experience to work towards the betterment of his constituents' quality of life. The question we should be asking is "What will the Portland politicians do with their experience?" Their actions only become self-serving and hollow if they fail to act upon their experience.

It can work, to a certain extent. In 1986, an MLA from British Columbia, Emery Barnes, spent a month living on welfare among his constituents. He was criticised for doing so but what he learned there helped shape his political efforts in years to come. Unfortunately, there are not many politicians cut from the same cloth as Emery Barnes...

Tana, thanks for the info on the reason for the thicker skins. My lemons have always been thick-skinned so I always wondered about the "thin-skinned" description of Meyer lemons. Our Meyer lemon tree is in the front garden and, every year at this time, we wrap it in white mini-lights. (Okay, we leave the lights on year-round and, every year at this time, we plug it in.) It's truly beautiful at night; the lemons look like luminescent decorations.

Gluttony, in the Seven Deadly Sins sense, has more to do with a giving over of one's self to the senses (as opposed to giving one's self over to God). It's counterpart in the Holy Virtues is Temperance, referring not only to moderation in drink and eating but also in all temptations of the flesh. Gluttony represents a manifestation of the baser nature of man (flesh); it is a sin because it signifies the failure to aspire to his higher nature (spirit). Refer your friend to The Faerie Queene. There's no better summation of what the Seven Deadly Sins are than that. (I knew that English degree would come in handy *some* day!)

My friend, whose son-in-law owns an upscale butcher shop in the Bay Area, was able to bring me some suet (yeah!) so I'm now almost set to make my mincemeat. Can you tell me what the yield of your recipe is? I don't have the pretty little glass sealers but would like to pick some up tonight. I reckon it's not going to hurt the mincemeat to sit in the bowl for a little while Thanks! === I found some pint jars stored away and, to answer my own question ... 7 pints!

summer's end wild raspberries dried on the stem clusters of berries beyond my fingers clear blue skies approaching autumn -- green tomatoes left on the vine Edited to add that I don't follow the 5-7-5 rule, preferring instead the HSA definition of "An unrhymed Japanese poem recoding the essence of a moment keenly perceived, in which Nature is linked to human nature."

There has been a potato question plaguing me for years. I've looked for the answer to no avail; I've even sent a query about it to the Potato People (or whatever the potato organisation is called ). Sometimes, I will get a potato that refuses to cook. It can be baked for hours or boiled for hours and it's still as hard as rock. I did read an explanation for this at one point in time but, as my brain apparently became overly full of mostly useless knowledge, it has somehow fallen out. Does anyone know why this happens?

Uh, how about a very fat cat? Sure. The hounds say "Cat ... It's not just for breakfast anymore".

Nahhhh. I only go to Texas to race my dogs; one of the Texas racers makes the most incredible barbecued brisket. It's famous in racing circles. I have never tried any other Texas barbecue, mostly because Ann's is on such a high pedastal in my mind, that I really don't want anything to happen to its position.

Why can't I eat that? Eating it involves dog racing too. Got a dog to race?

Great travelogue ... If you do head across country, try to make it to The Dixie Pig in North Little Rock for their pig plate and, of course, barbecued beef brisket in Texas (no recommendations on venue as I'm lucky enough to have a "homemade" source). Once you're into the Southwest, it's best to change focus to green chile sauce (I prefer the New Mexican variety...maybe because it has pork in it????). That will take you all the way to California. Jen

Nanaimo bars from the Bird's Custard tin. (Only in Canada, you say? Pity!) Jen

I would think the suet in Jack's recipe would fulfill the "meat" requirement, wouldn't it? Jen (Now, the trick is to find suet in California; it's not kept in the grocer's freezer like it is at home ...)

I'm going to try the kim chee stew tomorrow. Most of the ideas suggested involve whole pork belly, not sliced. I also happen to have some homemade kimchee in the fridge that I could use up :-) Thanks!

The pork belly is not cooked. It rather looks like 2" pieces of uncooked, very meaty bacon. I did use some of it last night (so now have only 3/4 ton left over). I chopped it, fried it, then added in chopped onion and garlic, chunks of chicken thigh meat, cannelini beans, and a whack of chicken broth. It was seasoned with herbes de Provence. Even the Guy and the Spawn, neither of whom like beans, had seconds of it. I guess that means it worked out well. I like the idea of roasting it (even though I think it was meant to roast a slab). Or maybe seasoning and broiling it would be a good idea (and slightly more practical for the slices). Thanks for the inspiration, all!

Um, not likely. Very likely. There was also a Utah court case last year (earlier this year?) in which parents of a young girl were charged in her death because they forced her to drink water as a punishment. The amount of water caused "water intoxication".

On Saturday night, the Guy and I were treated to an after-hours Korean barbecue by the owner of our favourite sushi restaurant. As there was a ton of meat left over, Sean sent us home with a whack of sliced pork belly and some Korean short ribs. The short ribs are easy but are there any interesting things I can do with the pork belly (besides just frying it all up and making a pig of myself!!!!)? Jen

Fairview Estates had a really good Shiraz a few years back. It ran about $18/bottle Canadian and was available for a short time in BC. This was shortly after the embargo was lifted on SA wines (but I think before it was lifted in the US). We bought a case before it became unavailable and then spent years searching for it again (to no avail). Goats Do Roam doesn't even begin to compare to that Shiraz.

Well, I had to either blame the pork or the cheese and, since cheese ranks far higher in my newfound estimation than pork (if only for the reason that I can eat it without HP sauce), I really had no choice. Although carnitas are my new best friend, I still won't eat pork chops. Blech.